Desert dwellers enjoy monsoonal moisture
Step out of the air conditioning for just a moment, and you feel it. Monsoon season is among us.
“We’ve had a lot of humidity, which is rare for the desert, so that makes things a little uncomfortable,” reflects self-proclaimed “desert rat”, and College Golf Center manager, Tony Manzoni. He’s been in the Valley for 42 years.
“When it’s a dry heat, you can take the 100, 105,” Manzoni continues, “but when we get that heavy humidity I feel like I’m in Florida again.”
Cloud cover and light showers are moving towards Arizona, so many who spend time outdoors took advantage of the cooler weather. That’s good for business at the driving range.
“Yeah we’ll see more business here,” Manzoni says, “We’ve had a pretty tough summer so far, but this is a nice day. I’m going to practice myself.”
The former pro-am tour player says most days, people hit from under the awning and misters, on concrete and turf. On days when the weather is nicer, hitting on the grass is more bearable, and more people come out to practice their swing — people like recreational golfer Joseph Veirga from Palm Desert.
“I’ve lived here my whole life, so I’m used to the heat, but today is a nice little break. It’s beautiful out here,” Veirga says. “I actually really like it right now; it’s not too humid right now. It released a little bit when the rain came down.”
“It’s better than working in 120 degrees in the heat, so yeah we’ll deal with this better than the heat,” says Jason Duran, a construction worker on El Paseo.
Still wearing his protective clothing, Duran’s coworker Joshua Quinonez says he’ll sweat less and there will be a better morale on the job.
Quinonez also grew up in the desert, and appreciates the rarity.
“I like to stay home on rainy days,” he says, “I wish it would rain more often!”
Full-time mom Gillian Van Guilder says that it’s perfect weather for her eight-year-old son, Grayson, to take a dip in the pool.
“We’ll definitely swim,” she says, “I know that’s weird, but it’s nice to swim when it’s not so hot and the sun isn’t beating down on us.”
Grayson says it’s also a great day for their two Labrador Retriever puppies, Bean and Butter, to take a run in the dog park.
“The dogs love the rain,” he says, “I mean it’s like water everywhere.”
Meteorologist Jerry Steffen predicts about one tenth of an inch of total rainfall across the Coachella Valley.
